Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-07-17

anisn Cossack; Oktobjio, Montenc-
grin. The only pure-blooeed Russian
among them all was Skobeleff himself"
"And he" / replied, "was the only
one among them oil whom you could
call general, except perhaps Tergu-
kassoff."
True, but men like Skobeleff come
only once in century. Had he lived
he might have remodelled our army Tor
at least part of it,, and might, per-
haps, have formed staff of competent
native officers but l don't know who
is to do il now that he's gone. You
have been good deal among our sol.
diers, and must have heard that couplet
which they're so fond of quoting
Russki soldat molodetz, Russ&i ophit-
ger podletz,' (the Russian soldier is n
fine fellow, the Russian officer is ras-
cal I'm afraid it's only too true. For
eign officers in our service are generally
able, because, having no friends at
Court, they must rise by sheer merit,
whereas the Russians are very often
pushed forward by private favoritism,
or else (here she lowered her voice to a
Whisper by female influence. How
ever. ! won't say anything about that,
for fear should say too much. Prince
Menscbikoff was one of these Court
pets, and we couldn't have had a worse
man at our head in the Crimea, as
Nicholas himself found out when it was
too late. But there's worse trouble
than all these hanging over us now"
" suppose you mean the present at
tiiude of the Russian peasantry ?"
"Just so. All these bad harvests
and money troubles are gradually
driving them into the great towns in
quest Of work, where some of them
learn to read, and all of them find ont
a great many things of which they
never dreamed before. Already they
are beginning to think for themselves
in this new atmosphere, or rather for
the Nihilists, who prompt them.
In Russia, as in France, it is the coun-
try that is conservative and the town
that is revolutionary. The two great
influences that once held our pea
SAINTS under control-their rever-
ence for the priesthood and their
loyalty TO the Czar-are now
fast falling away. Instead Of
being reverenced and propitiated
as they used to be, the priests
are nowadays despised and ridiculed,
as you may see by that proverb which
every mgjik (peasanD knows 'They
who wear wide sleeves q. c., the clergy
in their hearts are thieves. As for the
Gear, his power over them was supreme
so long as they believed him to be all
powerful and invincible but now that
they see there exists another power
which can overmatch him, unnerve
him, force him to imprison himself at
CATCHING, his prestige must of course
suffer in their eyes. I've heard them
say such things of him as no one would
have dared even to think in the days OF
Nicholas. We are paying dearly for
the great error of our Government in
1869"
"What was that?"
Tuning back from reform to re-
preston just as the work was almost
done. During the nine great years that
succeeded to the serf emancipation of
February, 1861, when one reform fol-
lowed another like waves of the sea,
the swing of the movement carried all
Russia along with it, and any opposi-
ton would have been easily oyerborne.
But"
Here she stopped short, as if fearful
of saying too much.
"What was the real history of that
sudden change, then ?" asked l, look
ing fixedly at her
1--WE won't talk about tat just
now" she replied, slightly changing
color; GIVE seen and heard q good
many things that are not safe to speak
Of. But you must come and see me
again when you come back from
America on your way to Ceylon, and
then 1 may be able 10 tell you more"
A few weeks hence | shall hope to
claim the fulflment Of that promise.